Method and apparatus for cleaning rotary spinning chamber



u Aug. 1S, 1970 H, LANDWEHRKAMP T Al. 3,524,312

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING ROTARY SPINNING CHAMBER Filed July 25. 196'/y i2 sheets-sheet 1 6 257Y QE) lli A rfa/@VFY Au@ i3, 1970 H. LANDWEHRKAMP ETAx. '3,524,312

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING ROTARY SPINNING CHAMBER Filed July 25. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A rra/@Macy United States Patent Ofce U.S. Cl. 57-56 18 Claims ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE The cover for the spinning chamber and its housing has an inclined bore through it to permit injection of cornpressed air or cleaning fluid to the chamber, or a mechanical stripper can be slid through the bore to engage the chamber side. The stripper may have a longitudinal bore for passage of uid through it to the chamber. Residue entrained by an air stream or by cleaning tiuid can be removed through the hollow shaft supporting the chamber or through an aperture in the housing wall.

In spinning thread from a ribbon lap in a rotary chamber, residue from dust and dirt and from oils carried by the lap is deposited in the chamber. Consequently, a suction source is provided to remove such residue from the chamber, usually through its hollow shaft. However, because the residue is oily and because of the centrifugal force pressing the lap and residue onto the rotating chamber, the residue clings to the chamber wall and a suction air stream alone is not capable of removing the residue.

Consequently, it is necessary to clean the spinning chamber from time to time. In the past, such cleaning has required that the spinning chamber and housing be partially dismantled and cleaned manually, which resulted in considerable loss due to shutdown time.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide apparatus and a method for cleaning a rotary spinning chamber which does not require opening or dismantling of the chamber and its housing.

It is a further important object to provide apparatus for cleaning spinning chambers which can be utilized to clean, simultaneously, several spinning chambers automatically.

FIG. 1 is a central vertical section through a Spinnin device having cleaning means of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a similar section through a spinning device illustrating additional cleaning means and FIG. 3 is a plan of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2'.

FIG. 4 is a section through a cleaning device component, with parts broken away.

FIG. 5 is a central vertical section through a different spinning device illustrating modified cleaning means.

A representative spinning device is shown in FIG. 1. A housing 1 surrounds a spinning chamber 2 mounted on the upper end of a hollow upright shaft 21. From the upper end of the shaft the cup-shaped chamber flares upwardly and outwardly and has an inwardly and upwardly inclined rim. A cover 11 closes the upper portion of housing 1 and its central portion depends into and forms a stationary cover for the spinning chamber. A feed tube 51 extends through cover 11 to supply fiber sliver from feed rolls 5 to the spinning chamber 2 and directs such sliver into the collection channel 24 defined by the junction of the lower ared wall and inturned rim of the chamber. A tube 6 extends axially through cover 11 for removing spun yarn from chamber 2. Shaft 21 is driven through sheave 22 by belt 23.

p 3,524,312 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 The cleaning apparatus includes a bore 3 through cover 11 which, as shown best in FIG. 3', is inclined and extends substantially tangentially of channel 24. The inner end of the bore is directed opposite to the direction of chamber rotation as shown in FIG. 3 by an arrow P so that cleaning fluid or mechanical cleaner entering the chamber through the bore will impinge against the chamber wall in a manner to effect scouring of such wall. A tube 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 connected to a compressed yair source may be inserted through bore 3 to blow residue from the chamber wall; a cleaning agent may be poured or sprayed through the bore; or a mechanical stripper such as 7 or 70 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 may extend through the bore. A combination of these cleaning agents may be used.

In FIG. 4' a stripper 70 is shown in detail. A longitudinal bore 71 through the stripper permits the injection of compressed air or cleaning liuid into the chamber. Bristles 72 encircle the inner end of such bore. The end portion of a flexible fluid supply conduit 74 embraces the outer end of the stripper tube 73. The conduit and stripper tube can be moved axially through bore 3 in cover 11 into and out of the chamber. The tube 73 may be connected by a Bowden cable 75 or the like to a remote station or automatic actuating mechanism for manipulation of the stripper.

Residue stripped from the chamber walls is removed from the chamber through a passage 40 in the hollow shaft 21. A suction tube 4 may be attached to the lower end of the shaft for creating an air stream A which may operate continuously or intermittently to draw loose residue from the chamber during spinning. Such suction may cooperate with compressed air or cleaning liuid injected through bore 3 to entrain the residue and carry it out through passage 40.

In FIG. 5 a shallow spinning chamber 2' is shown in which spun thread is removed through vertical hollow shaft 21 supporting such chamber. Residue scoured from the walls of such chamber is drawn over the upper edge H of the chamber and out through suction 4' in the side wall of housing 1 by means of an air stream A.

When the spinning chamber 2 or 2 is to be cleaned, the feed rolls 5 are stopped and the tiber sliver is cut between such rolls and feed tube 51. The sliver remaining in the tube and in the collection channel 24 is removed with the spun yarn through discharge tube 6 and cut from such yarn. The speed of chamber rotation is preferably reduced substantially during the cleaning operation. If the tube 4 is continually applying suction to hollow shaft 21, air stream A or A Will havey removed loose particles in the spinning chamber so that only the residue S remains. Compressed air or other cleaning lluid is then inf jected through bore 3 to impinge on the side of the collection channel 24. As discussed previously, bore 3 is disposed so that fluid supplied through the bore will have an initial velocity directed substantially opposite to the tangential direction of chamber rotation so that the momentum of such uid will cause it to scour residue from the channel. By permitting the chamber to rotate at a reduced speed instead of being stopped completely the entire channel circumference is eifectively cleaned.

Alternatively, or in addition to the stream of cleaning fluid, a stripper 7may extend through bore 3 and may have on its channel-engaging end a small brush or a felt tip to scrape residue from the channel mechanically without eroding the chamber wall. Particularly if the residue is oily, it may be desirable to inject a cleaning solvent into the chamber and then to scrape the residue from the walls in which case a hollow stripper, such as the stripper 70 shown in FIG. 4, may be used. When the cleaning operation is completed, stripper 7 or 70 is retracted into bore 3 for storage.

1.- -The method of cleaning residue from" a otary'spin-"i ning chamber having a collection channel comprising the steps of interrupting the spinning operation, reducing the speed of 'rotation ofthe Spinning chamber, introducing a cleaning instrumentality into the collection channel, and removing residue from the chamber by a liuid stream.

2. lThe method of cleaning defined in claim 1, in which the cleaning instrumentality is compressed air injected into the collection channel.

' 3. The method ofcleaning defined in claim 1, in which the cleaning instrumentality isa stream of liquid injected into the collection channel. 4. ,The method of cleaning dened in claim 1, in which the cleaning instrumentality is a mechanical 'stripper insertable into the collection channel.

5. In -a spinning device including a rotary spinning chamber having a .collectionchannel and a housing for such spinning chamber, a stationary cover covering both the housing and the spinning chamber and having an inclined bore therethrough communicating with the spinning chamber collection channel and through which a cleaning instrumentality may pass.

6. The spinning device defined in claim 5, in which the inclined bore is directed generally tangentially toward the spinning chamber collection channel in the direction opposed to the direction of the chamber rotation.

7. The spinning device defined in claim 5, and mechanical stripping means carried in and movable longitudinally of the inclined bore into and out of engagement with the spinning chamber collection channel.

8. The spinning device dened in claim 7, in which the mechanical stripping means includes a tubular body having a bore coaxial with the cover bore.

9. A method of cleaning fiber collection surfaces in open end spinning devices comprising the step of removing deposited impurities under a brief intense automatically actuated scouring force from the iiber collection surface.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said step includes a conveying of a liow of compressed air against the liber collection surface.

11. A lmethod as set forth in claim 10, wherein the iibler'Y collector surface'is rot'atableuin'a first direction and the iiow of compressed air is directed counter to said first direction.

` 12. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said step includes mechanical scraping of the liber collection surface.

13. A method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said step further includes a simultaneous conveying of a flow of cleaning solvent against the fiber collector surface.

`14. A method of cleaning a fiber collection surface in an open end spinning device which comprises the step of removing deposited impurities from the fiber collection surface by application to such surface of a brief intense scouring force.

15. In combination with an open end spinning device having a fiber collector surface; a cleaning apparatus including means for directing a flow of fluid against said liber collector surface to remove adhered impurities therefrom.

16. The combination as set forth in claim 1S, wherein said means includes a guide tube mounted above said surface, a retractably mounted cleaning element within said guide tube and means for moving said cleaning element into scraping contact with said surface.

17. The combination as set forth in claim 16, wherein said cleaning element is a brush.

18. The combination as set forth in claim 15, wherein said cleaning apparatus further includes suction means communicating with said surface for removing the fluid and removed impurities therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DONALD E. WATKINS, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 57-58.89, 156 

